Police chief Peter Neyroud is disappointed MPs shot down the 90-day detention plans for terrorist suspects.

The Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police said yesterday the compromise of 28 days detention before a suspect had to be charged was not long enough to fight the terrorist threat.

Mr Neyroud had worked with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in supporting the 90 days.

But on Wednesday, MPs voted against the move by 322 votes to 291, choosing instead to extend the limit from 14 to 28 days.

"Twenty-eight days is better than 14," Mr Neyroud told the Oxford Mail. "But it's not long enough to deal with the points that we have made.

"What the police and the prosecution feel is essential for the protection of the public and to ensure that we are using the protections of the criminal process, is that we have sufficient time pre-charge in terrorist cases to be able to charge within the period of custody. "Disruption is one thing, successful prosecution is quite another. I want to see terrorists being held to account before our courts, so that the public can see justice done and publicly understand the nature of the threat."

He added: "Terrorist investigations have become more and more complex, both because of the international dimension and the types of evidence.

"All this adds up to the need for a process, tightly supervised by senior judges, which could allow up to 90 days in a very small number of cases."

Mr Neyroud said he thought the public were prepared to allow 90 days, as long as the right protections were in place.

"I understand why some members have a very strong objection to the changes," he said. "But we are anxious to avoid trying to balance public protection against a custody timetable."